It surely could not have been just a loss for the Packers on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers came into Lambeau Field and absolutely demolished the Packers. Laying out a blueprint for how to kick this team in the teeth and never stop.
While the Packers fall 16-13 to the Panthers, that is surely not the worst loss of the season. The team fears that star tight end Tucker Kraft has torn his ACL, putting him out for the season. Kraft has been ascending into one of the elite players at his position.
This is truly a devastating blow to a team with aspirations of a Super Bowl. There is a lot to focus on this coming week, and how we get a response will say everything. This is one of the most uninspiring games I have ever seen the Packers play.
There is a lot of bad football out there, but rarely am I ever speechless for how poor of a performance it is. The Packers should be ashamed of the product they put on the field, especially in front of a home crowd that booed them.
Packers will be Soul Searching as the Eagles are next
In all three phases of this game, the Packers played completely uninspired. The offense had no spark. Once a mistake happens, they look scared and afraid to play their own brand of football. Matt LaFleur is desperately trying to establish a run game that flourished last season.
However, it seems like he is not coaching the team he has now. This team has been better pass blocking and looks it’s best through the short and intermediate passing game. Jordan Love needs to be able to have more control of the offense.
The brutal mistakes on Love’s end, in my opinion, come when he feels the need to play hero ball. This is not excusing his atrocious interception and should have been another. Rather, it is showing insight into how the game is called. Without trust, you have a quarterback feeling handcuffed.
In order to get the team back in the game, Love feels the need to make an explosive play. However, they are dangerously explosive plays. I would like to see Matt play to what Jordan is good at and let the offense naturally progress from it.
Brandon McManus, once again, missed another kick. This is a completely baffling and botched decision from this coaching staff. Just two weeks ago, Lucas Havrisik sets a franchise record for longest field goal kicked.
Because they paid McManus, he got his job back, which should not have been how they decided. While injured, Havrisik came in and performed at a high level. Keeping him as the starter so McManus can continue to heal is the right call. Nothing has shown to be clearer these past two weeks, as McManus’s errors continue to cost the team.
This Packers team has a lot of soul searching to do this week. What is the identity of this team? What do they want their brand to be? With the Eagles next, they need to figure this out quickly. Hopefully, we see a more inspiring performance next Monday night.
